Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and front-runner, did tai chi and danced salsa with seniors. Andrew M. Cuomo courted conservatives on Russian-language radio, while Curtis Sliwa campaigned in the subway.

Oct. 31, 2025 Updated 8:13 p.m. ET

Andy Newman and Emma G. Fitzsimmons

Here’s the latest.

Early voters streamed to the polls on a windy Halloween Friday, some in costume, while the candidates campaigned across New York City seeking a winning formula in a rancorous three-way contest for mayor.

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a left-wing Democrat whose promises to freeze some rents and raise taxes to pay for social programs have worried the business community, remained the front-runner in recent polls. Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, running as an independent, and the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa, have been dividing up moderate and conservative voters.

More than 480,000 voters have already cast early ballots, far outpacing early voting in the last mayoral race. It remains unclear, however, how much higher final turnout will be.

Moderate supporters of Mr. Cuomo, a former governor, were rallying to give him a final push. Michael R. Bloomberg, the city’s billionaire former mayor, donated $3.5 million this week to a super PAC trying to stop Mr. Mamdani, on top of $1.5 million he donated to another anti-Mamdani group.

On the campaign trail on Friday, Mr. Mamdani did tai chi and danced salsa with seniors in Manhattan, and was scheduled to attend a concert by the singer-songwriter Cuco in Brooklyn.

Mr. Cuomo aggressively courted conservatives, trying to pick off Mr. Sliwa’s voters as he appeared on a Russian-language radio program and met voters on Staten Island and in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, before heading to Jamaica, Queens. Mr. Sliwa planned to visit a Bronx mosque and appear at parades in Glendale, Queens, and Greenwich Village in Manhattan.

So far, more than four times as many people have voted early this year as during the same period in the 2021 election, which was the first New York City mayoral race that used early voting and which was held during the coronavirus pandemic.

While the early turnout numbers may reflect high enthusiasm over a hotly contested election, they could also mean that New Yorkers are getting increasingly comfortable with voting before Election Day.

Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York, a good-government group that advocated for early voting, said, “It’s our expectation that over time, we will see a steady increase in the number of people who vote early.”

Here’s what else to know:

• Mamdani’s Obama moment? A video of Mr. Mamdani’s speech last week about his experiences with Islamophobia has been viewed 25 million times. The speech has drawn comparisons to Barack Obama’s landmark 2008 speech about race and racism.
• Ballot measures: In addition to electing a mayor, New Yorkers are voting on six ballot questions. Three involve the housing crisis, and have led to a fierce battle between City Hall and the City Council. Here’s a primer.
• The mayor’s powers: Mr. Mamdani has called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. If he wins, his views could influence his management of city agencies and the police response to protests, and he could try to use his authority to hold Israel accountable for its treatment of Palestinians.
• ‘Unity’ and discord: Although Mr. Mamdani is the Democratic nominee, not all party leaders have lined up behind him. At a “unity” gala hosted by the Brooklyn Democratic Party Thursday night featuring Mr. Mamdani, Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, who had been billed as an attendee, was conspicuously absent.

source https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10/31/nyregion/nyc-mayor-election-news